Mountains dominate this part of France, but that doesn't mean that there is nothing but snow and skiing. Important though a winter skiing holiday is for many people, there is so much more to do as well, at all times of the year.

The mountainous region that is Auvergne is divided into the following departments: Allier, Cantal, Haute Loire and Puys de Dome. Working our way south, Allier has a town called Moulins, in which the cathedral has some delightful stained glass windows and some notable bell towers. The Duke of Montmorency’s mausoleum is in Moulins, and this is one of those places classified as a ‘town of art and history’.

The regional capital Clermont-Ferrand is in Puys-de-Dome, amidst the imposing setting of dormant volcanoes. Many of the buildings are made from lava rock, amongst these the gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption. The city hosts the annual Festival International du Court-Métrage, which is a short-film festival, held at the end of January. Visitors to Volvic can explore not only the source for the famous water and get a tour, but stand on one of the best vantage points of the extinct volcanoes of the Chaine-des-Puys. One of the six ‘Grand Sites of France’, and the origins of the departmental title, Puys-de-Dome is an enormous volcano on which there are the remains of a Roman temple known as the ‘Temple of Mercury’. The nearby Vulcania theme park has the somewhat unusual distinction of volcano-themed attractions: it is both an educational and a fun day out. The largely 19th century ski resort towns of Mont-Dore and La Bourbule are ...............READ MORE ABOUT AUVERGNE AND THE ALPS